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Vegetable family grouping for rotational purposes:
A vegetable rotation plan should be used when deciding where
to plant vegetables. Vegetable crop rotation is the key to
long term success in vegetable gardening. Failure to rotate
crops annually will result in increased soil borne disease,
nematodes, soil insects, imbalance of essential mineral
elements, and a dramatic decline in productivity. Crop
rotation is the most economical ways to aid in prevention
and control of insects and disease. Vegetables in the same
family grouping are likely to be susceptible to the same
diseases and organisms. Rotate these groups so vegetables
from one group are not planted in the same location more
than once every 3 to 5 years. I Have my garden equally
divided into 6 section. I plant based on the grouping table
below. I simply rotate all groups clockwise in the beds each
season. I grow groups A through E in Spring, Summer and
group F in the winter. In winter I grow nitrogen fixing
crops in my empty beds or cover them with leaf mulch until
spring.
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Group A |
Cantaloupe,
Cucumber, Gourd, Melons, Pumpkin, Squash |
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Group B |
All beans,
Cowpeas, Vetch |
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Group C |
Eggplant,
Irish Potato, Pepper, Tomato |
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Group D |
Asparagus,
Beet, Carrot, Garlic, Herbs, Shallot, Sweet
potato, Swiss chard |
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Group E |
Corn, Okra |
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Group F |
Broccoli,
Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Chinese cabbage,
Cauliflower, Collard, Lettuce, Mustard, Radish,
Rutabaga, Spinach Swiss chard, Turnip |
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